The present invention relates to an alarm system, an alarm signalling device and a method of transmitting and receiving alarm signals from a user, particularly but not exclusively to an alarm system adapted to receive distress signals from a user.
Portable telephones or mobile telephones are suitable for contacting emergency services in the event of an accident or emergency. These telephones are however not suitable for use as a personal emergency device by elderly people and disabled people for everyday use. Today's modern mobile telephones are still too bulky, heavy and therefore clumsy to be carried around all day by a user, particularly in and around the house. Also, as the telephone must be readily usable in the case of an emergency, the device must be switched on continuously. This is not feasible as mobile telephone batteries require frequent recharging. Furthermore, a mobile phone is expensive to operate due to the high call charges and the transmission of the mobile phone signal is not always reliable. Mobile telephones are therefore unsuitable to be used by elderly people and disabled people as a personal alarm device for contacting emergency services.
Document WO 91/15989 discloses an alarm system comprising a base station and an alarm device which is worn on a person. The alarm device comprises an emergency button for triggering an internal transmitter which transmits an alarm signal. The transmitted signal is received by the base station which triggers an audible and visual warning signal.
This device has the disadvantage that the user is unaware of the activation of the warning signal after the internal transmitter is triggered, unless the user is in the direct vicinity of the base station. If no help arrives immediately or if the user is not sure if the base station has received the alarm signal, this increases the anxiety of the user.
Also, certain users such as disabled users may not be physically capable of activating the alarm signalling device or they may not be physically capable of perceiving the triggered warning signal. In those cases, the user can also get distressed.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved alarm system, an improved alarm signalling device and a method of receiving alarm signals from a user, thereby addressing the above described problems, and/or which offers improvements generally.